Kate's Desire
by DHumphrey
Summary: After Kate and Humphrey come back to the pack, Kate is forced to marry Garth. After the marriage Humphrey runs away, thinking that Kate doesn't love him. Kate actually desires him and want's him more than anything. This story is about how Kate runs away and tries to find Humphrey and, if she finds him, to convince her parents to allow her to marry him and divorce Garth.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first story so go easy on me please! Open for correction.**

Kate's POV:

I was running. The wind in my fur was one of the best feelings I can have. And when it's the with the one who I love, nothing can be better. I saw him running with me. Humphrey. Our faces were etched with the joy of being together and being able to play together.

Suddenly, everything darkened. I started being dragged backwards by an invisible force. What was happening?! Humphrey was also being dragged, but in the opposite direction. I reached out my paw to him, but I couldn't get to him. Then I felt like I was falling. Darkness surrounded me. I tried to scream to Humphrey to help, but there was no one to hear my cries.

I woke up with a start. Where was I? Everything was dark, and I was on my back on the ground.

I realised I had my paws over my eyes. I slowly removed them, scared of what I was about to see. I tried to see but sunlight had flooded into the den, blinding me. Then it was as if my brain rebooted and I remembered everything. I looked over my side to Garth, his chest rising rhythmically to his breathing. Why was I dreaming about Humphrey? After we came back I married Garth, not that I wanted to, but my parents forced me. They told me, actually ordered me, to forget about Humphrey, to put him out of my mind. I tried to, but when I learned that he had left, I just couldn't stop thinking about him. At least twice a day, I caught myself thinking about him, wishing that I had married him instead of Garth. Not that I had anything against Garth, but I had always liked Humphrey more. I flinched as something touched me. It was Garth he was awake and staring at me.

"Hi, my little alpha," he said. I hated him calling me that.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not call me that," I sternly told him and walked to the entrance of the den to admire the sunrise.. He obviously liked the idea of marrying me, for I had a very good figure and everybody knew that. Even though he liked Lily, he was very content on having me. I didn't like one bit of it.

My thoughts were interrupted by Garth tapping my on my shoulder with his paw.

"We're married, Kate. You can't just reject me like that. I know you liked Humphrey, but you have to move on. And besides, he couldn't be able protect you from anything. I'm more muscular, better-looking..."

I cut him short,"Just stop it. I can't stand you. You keep on staring at me. All you want is my body. I thank my lucky stars that I'm a light-sleeper or who knows what you might have done."

"I like you, but I'm not a pervert or a rapist. We'll just have to get used to each other."

"NO!" I shouted as I ran out of the den to the trees. I kept on running willing my legs to propel me away from Garth.

**A/N: Hope you liked the first chapter. Please be patient for the next chapter. Ideas for the story will be accepted gratefully.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Back with chapter 2. Hope you enjoy it!**

Humphrey's POV:

I thought she loved me. I thought she cared. These thoughts swivelled around in my head. I thought she liked me. We had howled on the train, where we had become more than friends, or so I thought. When we had come back she had been escorted away by her parents, but not after her parents were able to give me a look which probably meant: stay away from her. I went back to my den shared. My friends had congratulated me on rescuing Kate. I had blushed and told them that it was nothing and went off to bed early. When I woke up I saw that it was late morning. Where was everyone? I lived in a densely populated area of the territory and I usually heard the hustling and bustling of life around me, but today I didn't hear any of that. I walked outside and saw all the pack standing under the pack leader's den. I padded over.

"Today I would like to announce," Winston said,"the marriage of my daughter Kate and Garth." Some cheers went up, but most eyes went towards me. Almost everybody must've known by now that I liked Kate, because I had told my friends and they're the main gossipers of the pack. Everyone must've all wanted to see my reaction, but I didn't let anything slip. I didn't want to show emotion, even though I was boiling with anger inside me. Why would Kate do this?

"The ceremony will begin tomorrow. All are welcome, but please leave Kate and Garth alone for they are busily preparing for the wedding. That is all I have to say." Winston then walked back into his den.

I wondered what Kate was thinking. Does she love me? No, she couldn't love me if she is going to marry Garth. Lost in my thoughts I didn't notice a wolf coming towards me.

"Hi, Humphrey."

I jumped around startled. It was Lily. I remembered that my friends had told me that she had been with Garth a lot while we were gone. Maybe she liked him.

"What do you think about the marriage," I asked. "I know you spent a lot of time with Garth."

She blushed. That confirmed my suspicions. She liked him.

"We all know that you liked Kate," She answered.

"That''s why everybody looked at me, right?"

"Yea, they also looked at me."

"Aren't you heartbroken or anything?" I asked her.

"Yes, and I'm trying my best to hide it."

"Me too."

A tear streaked down my face as I thought of Kate.

"I have to go," I said. I saw that she was also crying now.

"I thought he loved me," she sobbed. "You can go, Humphrey, I can sort myself out."

"OK, but you can come and see me at any time if you need comfort."

"Thanks," she whispered as I walked away.

**A/N: Hoped you liked it, but don't expect two chapters a day often. ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Thanks for the reviews. I'll try to make the chapters longer, but this is my first story so please be merciful.**

Humphrey's POV:

After I went back to my den, I cried my eyes out. I couldn't believe that she had replaced me with Garth. I felt betrayed. I felt like my life had no meaning. I tried to calm myself down, telling myself that this was all wrong and that Kate wanted me. While I was calming myself I hadn't noticed, for the millionth time this day, that someone had come into the den. When I looked up and saw Winston, I was horrified. What did he know about me and Kate? Did Kate tell him about her and me howling together? I couldn't ask myself any questions because Winston had come right up to me. I flinched expecting a blow or something like that, but he just stooped down.

"Are you OK?" he asked. This wasn't what I expected, and I looked quiet bewildered.

"What, can't you talk?" he asked. I finally found my tongue.

"Yea, I... I'm fine," I said.

"I heard that you and Kate had some feelings for each other," he said. I immediately thought about what Eve would do if she found out. Maybe she knew already!

"Where did you hear this?" I asked.

"I overheard you and Lily talking," he said.

"Does Eve know?" I asked, even though I was afraid to hear the answer.

"No, not yet, and I think that I won't tell her if don't need to," he said. Was it a threat?

"Why did you come here anyway?" I asked.

"I came here to tell you to stay away from her, and Lily." He said this sternly unlike his previous tone of voice.

"I won't tell Eve if you stay away from them," he continued, "so keep your distance."

"Why don't you want me not to even talk to her, to get over things."

"Maybe, but I'll have to be present, and Eve will have to know."

"I don't want Eve to know!" I shouted.

"You know what I could just tell her now, and let her rip you to shreds!"

"Just tell her! You can tell anyone you like. I'm leaving!" And with that I left, furious. I hated him so much. I hated Kate even more. I'd never known a time that I was angrier.

After I had calmed down, I decided to secretly go see Kate. I didn't know what to expect. Would she, after all the time we spent together, rebuke me, or would she react in some other way? I hoped that her parents won't be there. I saw her den come into view. I peered into the den to see if she was there. Empty. Where was she? She should be preparing for the wedding. I noticed something covering the floor. Dust. No one could have lived in here or even walked into the den without disturbing the dust. She must still be at her parents den, I thought. I saw Winston walking out of my den and walking towards his den, so I decided to follow him. When he entered his den I peeked around the corner to see what was happening. Before I could catch a glimpse, I felt someone behind me. Dear God, I asked, don't let it be Eve. I looked around, expecting the worst, but it was Lily, who, as I could see, was still crying.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

"I saw my dad follow you after you left. I wanted to see what he wanted with you."

"Did you overhear our conversation?" I asked.

"No, but please don't run away from the pack Humphrey, the pack needs you."

I looked away not wanting to meet her pleading gaze.

"I can't go on like this. Kate's going to marry Garth and then I'll be so heartbroken that I won't be any use to the pack."

"Omegas aren't any use to the pack really. We just make jokes, and those sort of things."

"But Eve is going to find out, and then she'll kill me."

"Just find a cute omega to go howl with. You'll feel better if you find love again."

"I just don't want my heart broken again." I was crying now.

"Shhh!" she hissed. "My dad told you to stay away from me, so lets find some other place where we can talk privately."

"No, I'm leaving, and that's that."

"Don't go Humphrey, the pack needs you." But she couldn't call me without her dad hearing, so I was already out of earshot, running aimlessly into the forest.

**A/N: Hope this was long enough for you guys. :) Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for all the follows and favs. I really appreciate it. :)**

Kate's POV:

I was running for some time, when I was a grey figure cross a field in front of me. It looked like it Humphrey, so I decided to follow him. Just as I started jogging behind him I tripped over something, maybe a root, and knocked my head on a tree truck. I must have been out for some time because when I woke up he was gone. I started running into the general area of where I last saw him.

Some time later:

I woke up from a deep sleep, with pain. I didn't know where I was hurt, I just felt it everywhere. What had happened? I had been running through the forest, away from Garth and, hopefully, towards Humphrey. I had stopped for a while to catch my breath and get my bearings. I had thought of Humphrey and hoped that he would be al right. I had started running again, this time with a sense of purpose. While I was running I had thought of my parents and how they would probably be worried about me. I was thinking so much that I hadn't notice the cliff in front of me, all I felt was no more ground beneath me and I fell. Then everything had gone black. Where am I now? I tried to stand up, but the pain was unbearable.

"Don't move or you'll make it worse," a voice which sounded a bit familiar said.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

"Your in my den. As for who I am, I can't tell you."

"Why?" Why was this guy so mysterious.

I managed to turn around enough for me to see him. He was not facing me, but I recognized a long semi-healed scar on his side. With a gasp I realized who he was. It was the leader of the northern wolves, Matt. I recognized him from the meetings my dad had had with him. I didn't know if my ears were damaged or something, because I couldn't recognize his voice before.

"Matt," I hissed.

"Oh, so you recognize me Kate," he said turning around.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, fearing the answer.

He ignored my question. "Winston and I have fallen out since you last saw me. We had always shared hunting grounds, but he banned us from it. My pack is hungry, we need food."

"So what has this got to do with me?" I asked.

"Your a hostage."

This struck me like a hammer blow. Me, a hostage? Is this guy crazy?

"I will trade you for hunting grounds," he continued, "and then my pack can get food."

"And you'll let me go back home?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"What if I escape?"

"You won't be able to. Look at the state in which your leg is in."

I looked. One of my front legs was in a splint, but the bone was still irregularly shaped. It hurt a lot.

"That wound would take weeks to heal."

"Have you told my dad that you have me yet?"

"I have sent a messenger. He should be back soon."

"My dad won't listen to you! He won't give you any hunting grounds!"

"Listen, Kate. What does he treasure more? His hunting grounds or his daughter? I think you can figure that out."

Winston's POV:

"A messenger from the northern pack sir. He says it's urgent," Hutch announced.

"Very well, bring him in," I said.

Hutch allowed the messenger in. He was right, it was a northern wolf. What did Matt want? We had stopped being friends ages ago. I could think of no reason for him to want to contact me.

"Sir, my pack leader wants hunting grounds and..."

"No he can't have any!"

"Let me continue," the messenger said rather impatiently, "We have Kate. My pack leader is willing to trade her for some hunting grounds. If you are not willing to submit, we will hurt her very badly. If you are still not willing, we will kill her."

**A/N: Thanks for all the support, though I noticed that I've had 1/3 less views on the third chapter than the first two.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for all follows and favs. 500 views already!**

Winston's POV:

After the messenger had left, I immediately called a meeting with my top alphas.

"Sir, why don't we just storm their territory and get Kate before they can act?" Hutch suggested.

"No, they might have enough time to prepare, and if they don't they'll probably hurt Kate before we can find out where she is held prisoner."

"What do we do then?"

"I don't know, I really don't know." I was broken-hearted.

Humphrey's POV:

When I had run away from Lily, I couldn't think why she had said that the pack needed me. The doesn't need me, so why _did _she say that? Why was my life so full of mysteries and questions? Why couldn't I have a normal life like any other wolf?

I heard the pounding of paws behind me, then the pounding stop. Someone was following me. I decided to act normal and try to find out who was following me. I had almost finished walking over a field when I heard my pursuer trip and fall. I then quickly moved in a big circle to come up behind my pursuer. I was shocked when I saw that it was Kate. She had tripped on a tree root and had hit her head on a trunk. She was just standing up, trying to find out why she had tripped. She had a nasty bump on the head. She, having found the root, continued on to where she last saw me heading. I had to run to keep pace with her, but I still didn't want her to know that I was following her. I wondered why she had followed me.

Careful to keep my distance, I followed her into the trees. I had to run fast to keep up with her for she was fit and intent on catching up with me, but I wasn't anywhere ahead of her. I had been following her for some time when I saw a cliff up ahead. Why didn't she slow down? Did she see the cliff? I couldn't call to her without giving my position away. She continued on, oblivious to the danger in front of her, and fell down the cliff. Luckily it was that high, so she could survive that fall.

I peeked down after her. There she lay, with a visibly broken bone. I then saw, to my surprise, another wolf cautiously approaching her. He had a long scar down the side of his body, and he also had muscular legs. It was no doubt that he was an alpha. I ducked behind the top of the cliff so that he wouldn't be able to see me. When I risked to look over the edge again he had managed to get her on his back and was now trekking into the forest. I tried to get down but there was no upfront way.

A while later:

I had finally managed to get down. I followed his paw prints into the forest. I saw a clearing up ahead with a cluster of dens in it. Kate must be here somewhere. I decided to go search each one discreetly.

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. FF seems to take up too much time. I don't know if I should continue. Pls give your opinion on this.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I decided to go on, but won't update daily. (maybe only once every three days)**

Humphrey's POV:

I cautiously approached the first den. I walked as quietly as I could, hoping that no one could hear me. Cautiously I looked around the corner of the entrance of the first den to check what was inside. Empty. I had counted eleven, so there were ten to go. They were all about the same size, except two of them. Kate must be in one of them because the wolf who picked her up must've immediately reported to his pack leader who most likely lives in a bigger than usual den. I made my way towards them, carefully keeping in the shadows. No wolves made their appearance, luckily, and I made it to the first of the two large dens unseen. As I came near to the entrance, I could hear voices inside. I strained to hear if one of the voices belonged to Kate, but I couldn't hear her. She must've still been unconscious, which was no surprise. She had a really big fall and was lucky to have survived it. Maybe she hadn't survived the fall at all! I had to put these thoughts out of my mind, since it lowered my morale. I looked discreetly into the den. There were two wolves inside, the one I had seen carry her and some other wolf. And there, between them, was Kate. Her leg was in a splint, but it still looked painful. Well, at least they had looked after her. That was good news and bad news. The good news was that they weren't going to kill her. The bad news was that the northern pack wasn't friends with our united pack, so they probably needed her alive for something.

"Yep, dude, this is Winston's daughter," the first wolf said.

"What do we do with her?" the second one asked.

"We keep her as a hostage."

"Why?"

"So that we can get hunting grounds from Winston. Haven't you noticed that my pack is hungry?" The wolf that that carried Kate here said that, so he must've also been the pack leader.

"Yes, I did notice, sir," the other wolf said,"everybody's hungry. Even you, who has the first pick of any food, are hungry."

I heard no more, because I was running towards my pack's territory as fast as my legs could carry. I had to tell Winston. Maybe Kate will like me after I brought the information that saved her.

Out of breath I ran to last stretch towards Winston's den. I wasn't an alpha, so I had taken quiet long to get back. As I barged into the den, I saw that Winston was in the middle of a meeting with his top alphas. You weren't supposed to barge into the leaders den, let alone in the middle of an important meeting, so I wasn't surprised when Winston blocked my way.

"What do you want? Don't you see that I'm in the middle of an important meeting? You better explain yourself!"

"It's Kate. The northern wolves got her!"

"We already know that!" Then Winston realised that he hadn't told anyone to prevent panic.

"How do you know that?" Winston asked cautiously.

"I saw them get her, and I know where they're keeping her hostage."

"Tell me the whole story," he said.

**A/N: Hope you guys liked it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks all for your support. My rest of my chapters will most probably be more than 500 words.**

Humphrey POV:

After I told him everything, he seemed quite pleased with this new information. This also made me happy. Maybe I still had a chance with Kate if Winston and I were on good terms. Eve, on the other hand, was a problem. I saw her come into the den. She had been outside crying. I'd never thought that Eve could cry, given her bloodthirsty nature. When Winston told her that I had found out where they held Kate hostage, I saw a flicker of hope in her face, which immediately turned to anger. In a flash she was on me.

"Why did you follow Kate? I knew that you liked her, and now your following her? I can't tolerate this! I'll kill you!"

Winston was desperately trying to convince Eve that I hadn't followed Kate, but that she had followed me.

"She was following him when she tripped and he managed to come around behind her and started following her trying to find out why she was following him."

"And you believed him when he told you that? He could've helped those northern wolves to catch her and just spinned a tall story to try to let you not suspect him."

"No, Eve. He told us where Kate was and I sent out a scout to check on that. The scout will be back any minute now and will bring the truth with him. Let's wait till he gets back, then we can sort things out."

"Fine," she said and reluctantly got off me.

I realised I had held my breath during the whole ordeal, so I gulped in air gratefully. Eve looked at me defiantly as she went outside and waited for the arrival of the scout.

"I'm sorry for the actions of my wife. She sometimes just doesn't know what she's doing."

"It's ok," I said, even though it wasn't.

Shortly after, the scout arrived and luckily for me he had confirmed my story. I saw that Eve wasn't angry with me any more. That anger was replaced with sadness realizing that her daughter was at the paws of merciless killers (in her mind). Since they knew where Kate was, they didn't need me any more, so I stepped outside for some air. I had noticed that Lily wasn't inside the den, so she must've been outside. I saw her white shape against the rock wall just outside of the den. She had stopped crying and was deep in thought, but not deep enough to not notice me.

"Hi," she said. "I heard you found out where Kate was. You'll be a hero when that comes out."

"Yea, but Winston said that he doesn't want to create panic, so I have to wait until they get Kate back."

"I hope that that'll be soon."

"I hope so too."

"I wonder what Garth's thinking now."

"Why don't we go see."

"Just don't let my dad see you talking with me. I think he's still banned you from speaking with me or Kate."

"He's to busy to worry about that. Let's go."

A short time later

"Hey, Garth!" We had just arrived at his, well, Kate's and his den.

"Yea? What do you want coyote?" He had put on a mocking tone until he saw that Lily was with me.

"Oh, hi Lily. What are you doing here?"

"We came here to offer comfort, since Kate is gone. You must be really worried about her."

"Yea, I really am worrying about her."

"Why aren't with the other top alphas at my dad's den?"

"Oh, I didn't want to get in their way. And I'm also trying to get some sleep, they might need me later for the rescue mission."

"Ok, sorry we disturbed you."

"That's ok."

**A/N: Does Garth really care about Kate or his just putting up an act. We shall see.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for views. Yesterday the total shot over 1500. Hope you like this chapter.**

Lily and I walked back towards her parents den, engrossed in our thoughts. She finally broke the silence.

"I don't think her really cares for her. He doesn't even want her."

"I think that Kate also wants me. Why else had she followed me?"

"I don't know."

We had stopped talking as we approached her parents den, not knowing who was listening.

"Well, I probably gotta go see my mum and dad. They should be wondering where I was by now..."

"Yes, we were."

We were both startled by the voice and saw that it belonged to Winston.

"Lily, go inside. Humphrey, come with me."

She looked at me, muttered a goodbye and walked quietly into her parents den. I saw Eve standing in the entrance, let her in, and follow her inside. She was obviously going to talk with Lily, while Winston talked with me.

"Let's walk down to the lake."

He was referring to the big pond or very small lake which was a favourite spot for private talks and so forth.

"I understand that I told you stay away from my daughters."

"Yes, you did sir."

"Why didn't you listen to me?"

"Um... well I..."

"Is there anything going on between you and Lily?"

"No sir, definitely not sir. We're just friends."

"I noticed that she liked Garth. Has she told you anything about this?"

Tricky question. I couldn't betray Lily but her dad knows already. Maybe he doesn't know and is just guessing.

"Yes, I did notice something like that sir."

"And I also saw that Kate wasn't very happy to marry Garth. I think that she also had feelings for you."

"I really don't know sir. I thought that she liked Garth more than she liked me."

"Oh, she liked you then?"

I realized that by saying 'more than she liked me' was a mistake. I'd talked myself into a corner.

"Well, we howled together..."

I had expected an outburst of anger, but he'd remained calm.

"I thought she liked you. I think she followed you to talk to you."

I also realized that he had not been angry either at me liking Kate or Kate liking me.

"You're not angry at me or Kate."

"Let me tell you a story. When I was a pup here in Jasper Park I liked a girl and she liked me. When I got sent to alpha school I couldn't see her any more because she wanted to be an omega. After I had finished training I met her again and we went out secretly, due to the fact the no alpha and omega marriage law was enforced and still is. When my parents found out they had us separated and grounded me for a month and I wasn't allowed to see any of my friends. After that month I never saw her again. My parents had kicked her out of the pack. So you see Humphrey, it isn't Kate who's going to be worse off, it's you. I will not and cannot give you an exemption from the law. When Kate comes back, you can be friends with her, but she's Garth's mate, not yours. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

"I have to go now. Goodbye Humphrey, and remember what I said."

"I will sir, I will."

**A/N: What's going to happen next? I'm a bit out of ideas, so ideas are very welcome.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Help! I need ideas! Yesterday was the most views for my story ever at 420. 2000 views already. You guys rock!**

Humphrey's POV:

After Winston had gone back to his den, I decided that I had nothing else to do, so I went back to mine. When I got back to my den, I had a fitful sleep and awoke the next morning refreshed. As I walked out of my den, I saw Shakey walking by.

"Hi Shakey."

"Hi, Humphrey. Have you heard that Winston and most of the top alphas have left to get Kate back?"

"No, I haven't. When did they leave?"

"Last night. Eve said that they're supposed to be back by late morning at the latest."

"Ok, cool. Where are you going?"

"Eve said that she needed some omegas to do some jobs since most of the alphas are gone."

"Mind if I tag along?"

"No problem."

Later that day:

After we had finished all the jobs, I was happy that I wasn't an alpha. All the work was so exhausting that Shakey and me decided to lie down in the tall, cool grass in the shade of the tree.

Then a thought struck me.

"Winston and the alphas aren't back yet."

"Really? I was to busy to notice."

"C'mon, stop acting stupid. Eve said that he said that they'll be back by late morning. It's late afternoon now. They should have been back hours ago."

"What, are you worried about your crush?"

"Stop it Shakey."

"Ok, ok. Don't get angry."

At that moment, Salty arrived.

"Humphrey, Eve wants to talk to you."

"Why?"

"I dunno. She said that it was urgent."

I got up and walked towards her den. Eve was already waiting when I arrived.

"Humphrey, Winston has been gone for way too long. I'm hoping you and a few volunteers can go see if they're ok. Are you fine with that?"

She was quick to the point and had a real sense of urgency in her voice.

"Ok, just give me some time to get some volunteers and then we'll go."

"Thank you Humphrey."

This was the first kindness that she had given me in days.

"Umm... yeah... You're welcome."

After that I went to see who wanted to volunteer. Shakey, Salty, and a few other omegas volunteered. In total we were six. Then we reported to Eve and we were on our way.

Later:

We were walking in the woods when some wolves attacked us. Most of the guys were really scared, because they were used to the alphas doing the fighting. Luckily I recognized the wolves before they tore us apart. It was our missing alphas.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked.

"What are YOU doing here Humphrey?" It was Winston.

"Eve sent us because she was worried that you were in trouble since you were away so long."

"Yes, I know, but I sent a messenger to tell everybody back home that we were fine and that we wouldn't be back for another day."

"He never made it," I said, remembering the torn apart carcass of a wolf that we had seen on the way. "Some other wolves had attacked him. I don't know who."

"This could be a problem. Whoever attacked the messenger could be following you now.

Everybody, back to your positions!"

We all found a safe hiding spot. Winston and I were right next to each other so that we could assess the situation.

"We couldn't rescue Kate because they had guards all around the den. They probably knew that we would try to rescue her and cut off our way back to our territory. It looks like we might never get out of here alive." Winston voice was grave. He had failed, for the first time since I've ever met him. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"Sir, I have an idea. Listen..."

**A/N: I need ideas please. I asked in my previous chapter but nobody gave me any ideas.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

Humphrey's POV:

"Ok, so, what we do is we split up into two teams, one with you and me and the other with everyone else. What they do is they make as if their making a surprise attack which brings all the guards and other alphas that are around. If it works out fine, then there's nobody to guard Kate. That's where we come in. You and I sneak up around the back of the den that Kate is held prisoner in, I go in, get Kate while you keep watch, get out, and you make some sort of signal to the other alphas. They retreat, and we go home. As simple as that."

"I must say that you can make some good plans. Maybe you should've become an alpha, but it's too late now. Let's do it."

We went around to every wolf to tell them what they had to do. After ten minutes, everybody knew about the plan.

"Everybody ready?" Winston asked.

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"Go!"

Our alphas sprinted out of the forest.

The battle had begun.

One of the guards howled, presumably for backup, and then they approached cautiously. All over the territory alphas had awoken to the howl of the guard, so the place would soon be packed with enemy alphas. We couldn't stand a chance, so Winston and I had to do our job fast. We approached the back of the den that Kate was held in. I nodded to Winston and I went around the side to the front leaving Winston to keep watch. I looked inside and saw Kate asleep. I wondered why she was asleep, but she must've still been exhausted from all the happenings of the day. I went inside. Just as I stepped inside someone jumped me. I knocked my head against the stone floor, passing out immediately.

When I woke up I was on my side in the den. I turned on to my stomach and saw Kate on the other side of the den. She was awake but she was crying while daydreaming.

"Don't cry Kate." She perked up at the sound of my voice.

"Humphrey, your awake! Are you ok?"

"Never been better."

"That's an overstatement."

"Yea, I know. What happened while I was out?"

'The northern pack's alphas drove ours away, but I think they're still around."

"Let's hope so."

The den was in silence for a while until Kate spoke.

"So, what has Garth been doing while I was gone?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"No, but he's probably in his den, sulking. Am I right?"

"Yep, that's right. Lily and me went to his den to ask if he was ok. He said that he was heart-broken."

"What a liar."

After Kate's short burst of anger there was silence again. She started the conversation again.

"You know, I wasn't following you."

"Really? Everyone, including me, thinks you were."

"No, Garth was acting like a creep, so I ran away from him. That's when I saw you and decided to follow you. You should heard Garth: 'Kate, we just have to get used to each other.' He likes me but he's a pervert. If I knew he was like that before the wedding, I wouldn't have married him."

"So you're gonna divorce him when you get back?"

"Exactly. If my mum and dad don't approve then I'll tell them what he said. My mum'll go crazy."

"What will you do after you divorce him?"

"Well... I don't know.."

"Did you really like me when you howled with me or was that once off?"

I could tell that she was surprised by this question.

"I.. I really did like you Humphrey, but you know the law. No alpha and omega marriage."

"That's what your dad told me after he told me the story about him liking an omega. He told me that we can be friends, but no further."

"Well, we can still be friends like old times, can't we?"

"Well..."

**A/N: Thanks for all the ideas. Won't need any more of them for at least another three or four chapters.**


	11. Chapter 11

Time: Evening

Humphrey's POV:

"Well..."

"I do like you Humphrey. But you know the rule." She said this in a slightly irritated voice.

"I know, but I have to confess Kate, I can't stop thinking about." I was taking a risk here, because if this went down wrong, it won't be good for me.

"I feel the same Humphrey. I dream about you a lot, almost every night."

"Maybe we were meant for each other, but if kept apart will continue to dream about each other, and always desire for each other."

"Come here you..."

Suddenly a voice sounded out from deeper into the den.

"Do not move Humphrey!"

We were both shocked. Who was this who had listened to our conversation?

"You are probably wondering who I am, Humphrey," he said as if he had read my mind. "I am Matt, the leader of the northern pack. We are willing to trade Kate for hunting grounds, as you may know, and since you came along everything almost went wrong. You are a clever omega, like Winston said."

How did he know that Winston said that to me? He spoke again, having probably read my mind again.

"My alphas, even though they are hungry, are still very highly trained. They are trained to be swift, invisible, unseen to the enemy. I know everything that Winston's pack has done and said in since the last few days. I am very proud of my alphas."

"Why don't you just attack our pack now that most of the alphas are gone?"

"I am not a wolf of trickery. I never attack a pack that is weak. That is how I gained all the territory that I have now. Unfortunately I also do not execute a captured pack's wolves, which leads to more mouths for my alphas to feed, so eventually food runs out. What I need you to do is to go to Winston and bring my offer to him. My terms are that he gives up his leadership to me, I take over peacefully not hurting anyone, an everyone will be happy."

Kate spoke up.

"My dad will never give up his pack to you! You can't just go marching into other people's territories, claim to bring peace, and everybody lives happily ever after. I've heard what your pack does to the wolves of a captured pack. If we give up we will be turned into slaves. Peace? I don't think so!"

I've always known Kate to be bold, but never as bold as this. Matt spoke again.

"That is my offer. I will release Humphrey at midnight so that he can arrive there in the morning. You will return, Humphrey, by nightfall or else there will be dire consequences. Understand?"

"I do understand, but what about Kate?"

"She will stay here. If Winston agrees to my offer, she will be freed. If he does not, we may have to hurt her a little bit to get some sense into her father. I know that you also care for her, so you will have a front row seat when that happens. I will wake you up at midnight. Goodnight."

And with that, he retired deeper into the den.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks to all my faithful readers. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

Time: Midnight

Humphrey's POV:

He woke me up at midnight. He asked me, if I was ready, of all things, and then briefly told me what I had to tell Winston.

"I thought about what Kate said last night, and she was right in saying that Winston won't just give his territory and pack away. Tell him that I want a meeting, no strings attached, the day after tomorrow. He is only allowed to bring one alpha, as will I. I don't need to tell you much more, for Winston and I will talk over things at the meeting."

"How's Kate's leg going. I saw you pick her up and carry her towards here."

"How did you see me?"

For the first time since I've met him, he was surprised.

"I was a t the top of the cliff looking down at you," I said proudly, happy that I tricked him once.

"And you saw me bring her to this den?"

"Yes, and I also saw you and some other alpha talking."

He thought for a while, then replied.

"You are a cunning and smart wolf. You could've been one f the best if you had chosen to be an alpha."

"I know that. Now, back to my question. How is her leg? That was a nasty fall."

"Yes it was," he admitted, "but her leg is doing fine since we made a splint. She ought to be up and running in a month or so."

"May I have breakfast before I go? I'm really hungry."

"Sorry, but you know were low on food. The faster you get there, earlier you can get food. Let that be a motivation for you. Goodbye, but remember to come back."

"I'll remember."

7 Hours later,

Early Morning.

Humphrey's POV:

I had run all through the morning. Out of breath I arrived at the first den of our territory. I continued to half run half stumble to the pack leader's den where I noticed that Winston was back. That's when I noted that Matt had told me to go back to my pack and talk with Winston, but how did he know that Winston was back already? It was a mystery. Anyway, I arrived at their den. I was too out of breath to get their attention, but they had already noticed me.

"Humphrey!" Winston exclaimed, as if welcoming a lost son. "How did you get back?"

I held up my paw to tell him to wait for me to catch my breath. By the time I had, most of the pack had already assembled outside.

"Please, don't all of you come rushing in to see Humphrey. Him and I have to have a conversation first."

"How did you get away Humphrey?"

"I didn't get away, sir. He let me go on the condition that I bring you his offer of a meeting the day after tomorrow. He wants to talk about merging the packs."

"But what will I get out of it?"

"I don't know sir. He just told me to tell you about the meeting. He said that you're only allowed to bring one alpha, and he will do the same."

After thinking a bit, Winston was a just about to say something when Eve came in.

"Where's my Kate? Where is she?"

"Calm down Eve, just let me finish talking with Humphrey then I'll let you ask him any question you want."

"Do it quickly then," she grumbled.

"Sir, I just remembered that he told me to be back by tonight, so I can't stay long."

"That's fine. You can go tell Matt that I will be at the meeting, but not after you get a well deserved rest. Right now please answer Eve's question, as I also want to know what has happened to Kate."

"Nothing has happened to her, sir. She's fine but still a hostage."

"Why does he still need her then, when I am having a meeting with him?"

"I don't know sir, but he says that no harm will come to her if you comply."

"Thank you Humphrey. Now go and get a well deserved rest."

"Thank you sir."

**A/N: Made this chapter a bit longer than always, because I may not be able to post another one tomorrow.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Was busy.**

Time: Late afternoon

Humphrey's POV:

I had thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout the day, catching up with my friends, playing, and, of course, log sledding. I tried to keep my mind from wandering to the thought of going back to Matt, but through the day I often caught myself thinking of what was going to happen. When time came for me to return, I said goodbye to everyone, and in turn they wished me good luck. As I walked away into the brush I looked forlornly back at my pack, wolves I've known for my whole life, and wondered if I might return home. But there was no time for this, as I was already late. The sun was shining in the blue sky, but was on its way to set. Oh well, I said to myself, no time for this, and then I started running, not at full speed, but at a moderate pace to avoid running out of energy too soon.

Later

I arrived at the mouth of the slender path that leads towards the central area of where the dens are situated. As I entered the clearing that the surrounded Matt's den, I saw him walk out.

"Good evening Humphrey. What did Winston say? Did he accept my invitation?"

"Yes he did. He said that he'll be there and bring only one of his alphas, as you asked."

"Kate is doing fine and now miraculously manages to walk, but with a limp. Come into the den so that we can talk further."

When I walked into the den I noticed that Kate was in a sitting position.

"He said you can walk now," I said, "but it does hurt, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it hurts a lot when I walk, but I can manage. Matt promised that we can go for a walk tonight if I'm up to it."

"You can go walk," said Matt, "but only if you agree not to try and get away, because you'll make it worse for yourselves, and your pack."

"Why the sudden kindness?" I asked.

"It wouldn't looked good if Winston and I came to an agreement and I sent you back with bad stories about how I treated you wouldn't it? Anyway, I believe I butted in on your conversation yesterday, so I'm giving you the time today to continue. Won't that be nice."

Kate and I looked at each other, embarrassed. Matt spoke up again.

"Well, what are you waiting for? You have to go before it gets dark, or you won't be able to see a thing."

"Ok, we'll go now," Kate said before I could answer. I helped her up and felt her fur in my ace as she leaned against me. It was a nice feeling.

"Don't come back too late," Matt shouted after us as we walked across the clearing and into the forest on the other side, where we had to stop for Kate to get some rest. We wouldn't be able to walk far with Kate walking slowly and having to rest every few minutes. I just hoped that I would enjoy it.

**A/N: There, I was able to write another chapter today. Hope you guy like it.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks to lonelywhitbadenglish2 for helping me with this chapter.**

Humphrey's POV:

After walking for awhile, we came into a small clearing with a pond in the center. Kate walked up towards the pond and sat at the edge of it and stared at her reflection in the water. She looked pained, and I would've too if I was in her paws, so I went up to her and sat down, our bodies touching.

"Its sucks that we're in this situation," she said, "I wished that it never happened."  
"Don't wish that," I said, "this situation has led me to realize that you do care for me, when I thought you liked Garth."

"Well, that's the only good thing about it."

After a prolonged silence, she spoke up again.

"You know that you're probably going to be a hero when we get back."

I blushed at this praise.

"Well, what did I actually do? I was just a messenger."

"Whatever you do, you're still my hero."

"Really? Since when?"

"Well, you helped me get back from Idaho."

"It was actually the other way around."

Again there was silence.

"You know Humphrey, if you were an alpha, or the rule wasn't there I would've married you."

She said this with a radiant smile.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I love you Kate."

"I love you too Humphrey."

I leaned over to her and kissed her and she kissed back. It continued on for some time, then we finally separated. We continued to stare into each other's eyes, and I thought of how much I loved her, how much I wanted to marry her.

"We better be getting back," she said.

It took me a few seconds to realize that she was talking, because I was so engrossed in my thoughts.

"Hm... oh yeah, we better get back."

We got up and walked away from the pond. I'd wanted the moment to last forever, but we had to get back soon, because it was almost already dark. We arrived back at the den shortly after. Matt was already waiting for us, ready to turn in.

"How was your evening," he asked, "or am I not allowed to ask?"

We ignored him, so he took it as a no. We all settled down to sleep, and I went and laid down next to Kate. I peeked over at her to see if she minded, but she didn't seem to, as she had already put her head onto her paws to sleep.

"Goodnight," I whispered into her ear.

"Goodnight Humphrey," she whispered back.

"Kate, do you think that your dad will let me become an alpha? I mean, there isn't a limit on how old you have to be to become an alpha, do they?"

"No, none I've heard of. Why do you ask? Don't tell me you want to become an alpha. Why would you want to be one? You have all the traits that an omega should have."

"Firstly, I want to become an alpha so that I can marry you, and secondly, everyone thinks that I will make an awesome alpha."

"Sorry to chip in," Matt said suddenly, "but I agree with Humphrey. He will make an excellent alpha, even though he has being an omega in his blood, he also has being an alpha in his blood."

"As long as my dad agrees," said Kate, "then you can become an alpha."

She snuggled in close to me.

"Now, lets get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Goodnight Kate."

"Goodnight Humphrey."

**A/N: Finished this chapter, finally. It took me ages to think of what to write, but luckily lonelywhitbadenglish2 was able to help me start it. Thanks dude. :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Humphrey's POV:

I slowly opened my eyes, because I felt that there was something touching my nose. The sensation of it had woken me up. When I looked I saw that it was Kate, or more specifically, her nose. It reminded me of the time that we had found shelter from the rain and had awoken in a similar position as this. I saw that she was now also opening her eyes. When she saw me she smiled, but when she looked past me her expression turned from pleasant to that of surprise. I wondered what she saw, so I turned around and saw Winston. He must've come in, seen us in this position, and waited for us to wake up. I stood up.

"Good morning sir," I said nervously.

"Good afternoon, Humphrey."

I gasped. Was it already that late? That's why Winston was here, for the meeting was due to start at noon. He spoke up again.

"I would've asked you where Matt was, but since you just woke up, you probably wouldn't know."

Matt spoke up out of the dark end of the den.

"Good afternoon Winston. Are you ready to talk?"

"Yes, I am. Please go outside you two," he said to us.

I helped Kate up, and we walked out of the den into the sunshine. Kate eventually broke the silence.

"Are you going to speak to my dad about becoming an alpha or what?"

"Yes, but it'll have to wait until the end of the meeting."

"How did we end up in that position?"

I had wanted to ask that question, but was too shy.

"I don't know," I said. "But I noticed that it was just like it was the morning after the rainstorm."

"Yea, I remember. My dad's probably very angry at you, and me, for what he saw."

"But if I tell your dad I want to become an alpha and what Garth said to you, it'll probably fix stuff."

"I hope so. Lets take another walk."

"Sure. I don't think that Matt will mind."

We walked down to the start of the trees. It was a wonderful afternoon. The sun was shining, a cool breeze that you could feel blowing through your fur. These two elements made it perfect.

We continued on through the trees until we came to the pond we had sat next to the night before.

"This place looks beautiful with the sunshine glistening off the surface of the water!" Kate exclaimed.

If it wasn't that Kate had a broken leg which prevented her from swimming, I would've pushed her in. I jumped into the water, laughing.

"C'mon Kate. The water's nice and cool. You don't need to swim, just stay where it is shallow."

She enthusiastically followed me into the water, and we started splashing each other with water. This reminded me of when Kate and I were pups, playing in the stream than ran through our pack's territory. After a while we came out of the water to the bank, soaked through.

"That was really fun," said Kate. "We should do it more often."

We both shook ourselves dry, and saw that it was already late afternoon.

"We better get back," I said. "Matt will probably wondering where we are."

"Not with all the noise you made," Kate said, and nudged me playfully.

We walked up to the den, just to find it empty.

"Where are they?" I asked.

"Dunno," Kate said, but before I could think of where they could've gone we saw them coming towards us.

"We were wondering where you were," Winston said. "We had just finished the meeting and saw you two gone."

"Yea, well we just got back from the pond to find you guys gone," Kate said.

"By the way," I added. "Where was the alpha who was supposed to come with you sir?"

I had noticed it this morning, but had thought that he probably was in the shadows of the den.

"I chose Garth to come with me," Winston said, to our surprise, "but when we came he saw you two and wanted to kill you Humphrey. Matt told me all about you two and how you said how Garth was, Kate. I will allow you to divorce him, if you still want to."

I saw Kate jump for joy, well, almost, since her leg was still in bad shape.

"Where is he now?" I asked.

"I sent him packing after Matt told me what he did. He won't be back for a while, since I threatened to tell Eve. You know how scared he is of her."

"Did Matt also tell you about Humphrey wanting to become an alpha, dad?"

"Yes, he did, and he also told me what a good chance Humphrey had to become an alpha. He may join the next course, which is in a month or two. I think he will be a wonderful student, and since I'm going to be the teacher at the next course, I'll be able to watch his progress myself."

"Thank you sir," I said, "but what was the outcome of the meeting?"

"I'll tell you on our way back. We will leave early, since it will take longer for Kate to get back."

"You mean that we can go now? We're not hostages anymore?" I asked, bewildered.

"No, not anymore. I'll tell you why when we leave. Why don't we leave now? No time than the present."

We all said goodbye to Matt and set off. I was happier than any wolf alive. We weren't hostages anymore, Kate was going to divorce Garth, I was going to become an alpha, and Kate was going to marry me when I finished the course. If I only knew that it wouldn't be that simple.

**A/N: Nice, long chapter guys! No, it's not the end yet, there's still a long way to go (well maybe not that long). **


	16. Chapter 16

Humphrey's POV:

We set off towards home. Only now did I realize that I was homesick, because I had been thinking too much on other things. As we walked along the path Winston told his story.

"I had thought at first that this meeting might have been a trap, so I had brought along the strongest alpha," Winston said.

"Garth?" I asked.

"Yes," Winston said. "And if it wasn't a trap, I thought that he might have liked to see you again, Kate. But now I know better, don't I?"

We nodded and waited patiently for him to continue the story.

"So we had set off early morning and had arrived here just before you two woke up. To tell the truth, I was quite shocked at this but didn't show it. I'd thought that this was Garth's responsibility, but since he had waited outside in case there was an ambush that was to come from behind he came in after you two had left. I think he saw you, but he probably didn't have the courage to face you, Kate. After Garth had came in, we had started the meeting. Firstly he told me of the situation in which his pack was in, and that even he couldn't quench his hunger. He told me that even though his pack wouldn't be able to defeat ours, we would come off badly, and that you would also be killed. |Then he made his offer. He said that he would be able to merge his pack mine, only if he would be allowed a say in all major choices in the pack, which really means that he's joint leader with me without actually being a 'leader'. His pack would also have to be treated fairly with no discrimination at all, and in return his pack will also be nice with ours. His alphas would assume all responsibilities that they needed to, but that they will do the same amount of work and such as my pack. I just summed the conversation up a bit for you, but that is basically what he said. I agreed. He said that he will get his pack ready and they will leave sometime tomorrow."

"Can you really trust him dad?" Kate asked. "You know what he did."

"All he did was take you hostage, for which he apologised. He is really a nice guy, who wants the best for his pack, but overstepped the line trying to. He's no rogue, he wants peace, and that's what he'll get. He is actually getting of the worst with the merge. Yes, I do trust him. I believe that we can become firm friends after the merge. The merge will also make us the strongest pack in the whole of Idaho."

He paused to smile, then continued.

"But I also have to talk to you about t he leadership of the pack. You and Garth were supposed to become the next pack leaders, but now you will be divorcing. In the first place, Tony won't be very happy not having his son become one of the new leaders, because I won't let you not be one of the new leaders, Kate, so we are stuck with a decision. Will you or Garth be the new leader. I am getting old, too old to manage a pack. I can't make Lily the leader because she's an omega. I want you to become the new leader, Kate, so our only option is to let you marry a western wolf, an alpha of course, to make both sides happy. But I know you Kate, and I don't think that you want to marry any western wolf, only Humphrey. I can stay leader until Humphrey finishes his alpha course, and while he is doing it I can train you to manage a pack, but we have to talk with Tony first. We can't just do anything without his permission."

**A/N: I'll just stop here today. Be sure to read the next chapter to find out what happens.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Yesterday was the most views since the start of the story. Almost at 5,00 views in total. Thanks all.**

Humphrey's POV:

We had continued talking until we arrived back to our pack, where we were left to do whatever we wanted. It was a relief for me to be free again, and I felt that Kate loved it too. We decided that I would go see my friends, and that Kate would go look for Lily. I was walking along the path leading towards my den when my friends jumped me.

"Wolf pile!" they shouted.

After a few minutes I managed to get myself out from under them.

"Is that how you guys greet a hero who just came home?" I said this jokingly, but they seemed to take it serious.

"Sorry Humphrey," Shakey said solemnly, but then he broke into a smile. "We just couldn't resist."

"Don't worry, guys, it's fine. I was just looking for you. And guess what?"

"What? Did you kill Matt, or did you take on all of their alphas and won, or did you..."

"Calm down guys. I'm going to e an alpha."

I could see that they were shocked at this. Salty eventually spoke up.

"Seriously? Doesn't that mean you won't have enough time for us while your having to do all of your alpha duties?"

"I'll come and see you guys now and then, but I'll be busy with other stuff. I'll have to go to meetings, and I'll be married so I'd have to go live with all the other alphas..."

"Wait, wait," Shakey interrupted. "You're going to be married? With who?"

"The main reason that I'm becoming an alpha is that I can marry Kate."

They all whistled. "You're going to be a married man. No time for us then."

They looked pretty sad, so I tried to cheer them up. "But guys, alpha training doesn't start till spring. We've got the whole summer to spend together!"

This seemed to brighten them up.

"Let's go log sledding!" exclaimed Salty.

We all agreed, so we went off to find the sled. We found it at the bottom a the hill that our dens were located on. We pulled it back up, go in, and down the hill we went.

"Yahoooo!" we all shouted as we felt the wind rushing through our fur.

When we reached the bottom, we hit the ground perfectly. Too perfect. Instead of stopping we continued on on level ground. We were still going really fast.

"How do we stop this thing?" I asked, trying to speak louder that the rushing wind.

"We usually stop at the bottom, but we hit the ground right and your added weight made more momentum than usual," Shakey answered.

Luckily we were gradually slowing down, and came to a stop more then five hundred meters from the bottom of the hill we started on.

"That was awesome!" Salty said. "Why don't we do it again?"

I was just about to reply when I saw a figure running along the edge of the clearing we had stopped on towards the main area of the pack. I noticed that he was red, and there was only one red person I knew that had that colour. It was Garth.

"Be right back guys," I said and started following Garth. He was too preoccupied to notice me, thank goodness, so I could easily follow. What was he up to now?


	18. Chapter 18

Humphrey's POV:

I wondered why Garth didn't come back openly, but it was probably that he was scared of Eve. Winston would have had to tell Eve about him, or else she wouldn't allow the divorce. I noticed that he had stopped, so I stopped too, a few meters behind him. I heard voices ahead and saw Garth hastily retreat into the vegetation, but I decided not to hide but just stay where I was and hope that Garth couldn't see me, because if he could he would immediately know that I was following him. I heard the voices come nearer, and then Kate and her mother and father rounded the corner of the path. They noticed me standing here and walked up to me.

"Hi Humphrey. We're looking for Lily. Have you seen her?" Kate said.

I knew that Garth would now know that I was here, because Kate had said my name, so I decided to use the situation to my advantage. I held up my paw for silence. They all gave me bewildered looks but stayed quiet. I crept up behind the bush that Garth was hiding in, and then I jumped onto it, and on top of Garth. I could tell that I had taken him by surprise, because he fell flat under me. Then he knew that someone must've jumped on him from the back and started trying to throw me off. It was like riding a bull in a Spanish arena. He finally managed to throw me off, and I landed in a bush a few meters away. Before Garth could jump on me I saw a golden flash as something flew by me and crashed in to Garth. Correction: it was Kate, and she wasn't flying. She had noticed that Garth was going to attack me and decided to tackle him. She managed to restrain him. Winston and Eve came running up.

"So you decided to come back, Garth?" Eve asked menacingly. "Why didn't you just leave away from the pack? After all you've done, I should be ripping you apart right now."

Kate was getting off Garth, and Winston was helping me up. I wasn't hurt much, but I was painfully winded. Winston spoke up.

"Why were you watching us?"

Garth answered hesitantly.

"I...I was coming back to the see you sir, but I saw you coming and didn't want Eve or Kate to see me."

"But why were you sneaking along, carefully staying close to the shadows of the trees? I think you were trying to stay hidden," I said.

"I don't have to answer your questions," Garth said. "You are in no place to talk to me like that. I am one of the best, the top alpha."

"You do what I say, Garth," Winston said. "You are in no place of authority any more. I have the authority to take away your right to be an alpha. And since Humphrey will son be one, you have to answer to him now, and do what he says."

"You can't let an omega become an alpha!" Garth exclaimed.

"I make the rules here, and in the first place, there isn't any rule preventing a wolf of becoming an alpha a bit later than usual."

"I'm going to my den. Come Kate." Garth said.

"And another thing, Garth," Winston said, getting angry. "You're now officially divorced with Kate. You are stripped of all authority. You have to find another den. If I find out that you go around making trouble I will dish out punishments. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Garth answered, and left fuming.

"What a guy, what a guy," I said sarcastically.

"Tell me about it," Kate said.

We continued the walk which they started, and I found out that they were planning to have Kate as one of the supervisors at the alpha course.

"Wouldn't it be great, Humphrey," Kate said. "I'm going to be your teacher! I wouldn't stand not seeing you for so long."

As Eve and Kate continued the walk, Winston pulled me back.

"I think you're going to make a great student. And with Kate as a supervisor and teacher, I'm sure you'll get along well."

"I sure hope so sir," I said, nodding approvingly.

**A/N: Even though a have a slight idea of what to put in the next chapter, ideas are needed. Thanks in advance.**


	19. Chapter 19

A few weeks later

Humphrey's POV:

I had thoroughly enjoyed myself in the last weeks, or at least tried to, because I had known that I wouldn't have that much freedom when I was an alpha. It's not like I didn't want to become an alpha, but I had to enjoy my freedom when I had time. I had gone log sledding, caribou scaring, and told jokes until the day's end. I did and didn't want it to end. I was torn in half, because I wanted the freedom to go play with my friends whenever I wanted to, but I also wanted the challenge of being an alpha, and, of course, Kate had gone howling a few times already at the moonlight howl, and I really enjoyed it. Then the day we had to leave finally dawned.

"You ready Kate?" I asked as I walked into her den.

"Almost," she shouted from inside.

After a few minutes she came out, and I accompanied her to the place where we were supposed to meet before we left. It was a sunny morning, and the sun was just giving enough warmth for the temperature to be favourable, but it was soon going to become hotter and we had a long walk ahead. Everybody was ready to depart on our journey. As soon as we arrived at the rendezvous, we gathered into groups of friends and set off. I was in a group that contained all of the supervisors and such. Most of the talk was gossip about which students were well behaved and which were naughty. After quite a long conversation without me saying anything, Kate noticed my quietness.

"Why are you so quiet Humphrey? Got the heebie-geebies? "

"No, I'm just a bit left out with all of you guys' gossip about students and stuff."

"Well, what can we talk about that you don't feel left out in?"

"You can give me some tips about the course."

"Sorry, but my dad said that I can't tell you anything about it. It would be too unfair to everyone else. You've got a better chance of passing that anyone else anyway, so why worry?"

"I'm not worrying, just seeing if I can get anything out of."

"Not getting anything out of me."

We walked in silence again. I did have an advantage over all the other students, but they still had time to practice and get fit. All I did was hang out with my friends.

We arrived at the valley at which the course was to be held. It was magnificent. Huge in size, it had an obstacle course to one side, a lesson area to the other, a big congregational area in the middle, and living quarters against the steepest side of the valley. It had lush plant life, and as we entered the valley I noticed a path leading between the trees to the left. Kate told me that at the end of the path was a big field with only two entrances, the path and a bigger entrance at the other side. After some supervisors chased some animals through the bigger entrance they would block it off and the animals would come running through here where the students would practice catching them. Kate also told me that this was where our pack used to live when it started, but left when food ran out, but after being abandoned for a few years, some wolves came across it and thought that it would make a great place to train alphas. This place looked better than I thought it would've looked. It looked like it was going to be better than I thought.


	20. Chapter 20

Humphrey's POV:

Soon after we had arrived we were directed towards our dens. Kate and I had adjoining dens. There were four levels of dens up the valley's side, with the most at the first level and the least at the top. The first level, which had six dens, was for male students, the second, which had five dens, for female students, the third, which had three dens, for supervisors Winston, Hutch, and another alpha called Samuel, so Kate and I had the top level all for ourselves.

After scouting out our dens, we met up at the 'balcony' that looked down onto the other levels. We had a magnificent view over the surrounding area, and it was truly beautiful. I located the areas where we would practice running, an obstacle course, and a miniature arena, probably for fighting practice. The sun was just setting over the hills.

"Isn't it beautiful," I said admirably.

"It's wonderful," she said.

We stood there in quiet for a while. The sun had just disappeared, leaving behind a trail of gleaming light of all colours imaginable.

"I wonder why didn't put me the other trainees," I said.

"I think my dad did it because you wouldn't fit in with them. They're too young for you to associate with. You probably won't like it."

"You're probably right."

"We're going to give a tour tomorrow, but my dad didn't tell me much about it. Probably thought that I would tell you, even though I promised not to."

"What did he tell you about the tour?" I asked questioningly.

"He told me that tomorrow morning he was going to wake everyone up really early. Then he will give us a tour of the area, and then we'll start a lesson on some basic things. Don't ask me what, my only job will be to teach you guys about hunting and running techniques. I can teach you a bit now, but I'm too tired from our trek. I'll turn in early."

"Aren't you forgetting about dinner? I heard that Winston, Hutch, and Samuel went off hunting and said that we could eat when they return, and I believe I can see them coming now."

I had spotted them coming along the path that we had followed this afternoon with a carcass dragging behind. I heard a shout from below. The other wolves must've also seen them.

"I am hungry, but I was too tired to notice until you mentioned it. Let's go eat." And Kate set of down the slope leading towards the bottommost level, where Winston and co. could be seen dragging a caribou carcass.

"Before any of you rush in, let me give you your first lesson." He paused to tear off a chunk of flesh from the caribou. "Oldest eat first."

There came groans of disdain from the crowd after he said this, but Kate and I stepped through them and also tucked into the food.

"You would've thought that youngsters had already learnt their manners," I said.

Kate laughed. "Yea, me too."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter yesterday, but I didn't have much to go on.**

Humphrey POV:

After we had eaten to our hearts content, we turned in. I was so tired that I immediately fell asleep when I layed down. I woke up just as the sun's rays streamed into my den. I decided to go wake Kate up, so I stepped out of my den and into hers. I saw her asleep on the ground. I gently shook her.

"Wake up Kate," I said. "It's already light."

Her eyes fluttered open and she got up with a groan.

"Why didn't my dad wake us up?" she asked.

"Maybe we just didn't hear if he shouted for us to wake up," I said.

"No, he would've known that we were missing and would've come wake us up."

"I think he just let us sleep for a while."

"I hate being the odd one out. Let's go see what's happening."

"You're not the only odd one out," I said as we walked down the path to the bottom.

As we neared the bottom I noticed snoring coming out of some dens.

"Looks like Winston let everyone sleep late," I said.

"Let's go see if he is in his den," Kate suggested.

We continued on until we came to the first level.

"Dad!" Kate called out. "Where are you?"

"Over here," we heard a call coming out of his den.

We got to his den and walked in.

"Didn't you say that you would wake us up early sir?" I asked.

"Yes, I did, but I decided to go easy on everybody since they had a long trip," he answered.

"Where are Hutch and Samuel?" Kate asked.

"They went to get breakfast. I didn't know that we could eat up a whole caribou in one sitting."

"You'll be surprised sir," I said.

"I was, but drop the 'sir' thing Humphrey. I'm going to be your father-in-law soon. Call me Winston."

"Yes, s... I mean Winston."

He chuckled. "Anyway, today there won't be any lessons, I decided, so everyone can go explore, provided that they are in groups of two or more. Do you guys have any plans for today?"

"No we don't, but I think we can go exploring, don't you agree Humphrey?"

We turned and started walking out of the den.

"Oh, and Kate. We will need you back by this evening to brief you on what your jobs are tomorrow. Can you manage that?"

"Sure, dad, sure."

We walked out into the sunshine. Everybody was already out of their dens or waking up.

"Where should we go first?" I asked.

"Let's just walk, see where the path leads."

"Sure."

We fell quiet, the only sounds were our feet crunching on the path. Eventually we arrived in a clearing with some logs arranged into an obstacle course.

"So this is the obstacle course," I said.

"Yep, that's it."

A vague plan formed in my head.

"Why don't we practice on it, so that I can have an advantage tomorrow or whatever day we're doing the course."

"Sure," she answered. "As long as we don't get caught doing it. I'll go first. You follow."

And with that we set off towards the start.


	22. Chapter 22

Humphrey's POV:

After we had run the obstacle course a few times, we stopped for a rest. We lay down in the cool grass under the shade of a tree.

"...so you have to jump earlier at the second log, but not too high and..." Kate had blabbered forth like this the whole morning, so I was thoroughly tired. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for her help, but sometimes you just gotta rest.

"Phew," I said as I let out a breath.

"You've got little energy Humphrey. You need to do more physical stuff like running or swimming. Swimming helps you get a longer breath and... I'm probably boring you now Humphrey. I'm in my teach mode today. Sorry."

"It's ok, you mean well. I think I know now why your Dad picked you to be a teacher. You can teach well, but you were right when you said you bored me. Way too much information."

"Am I not your type then?" she asked.

"No, you are, but... you know..."

"Yea, I know. Don't worry, I won't teach you the whole day long if we marry. I'll just be me."

I looked up at the sun. It was already past twelve.

"Shouldn't you be getting back soon?"

She looked up at the sun too and quickly stood up. "Oh yes, I should go. Are you coming or are you still going to run the course a few times?"

"I'm exhausted. I'll stay here until I'm rested, then I'll come."

"Ok. See you then," she said and started towards the path. I lost view of her when she walked around a corner of the trail. I decided to go lie in the bushes where I had more shade. After I settled down I slowly drifted off into sleep.

I awoke with a start. What had woken me up? I heard a sound, probably what woke me, come from the path. Footsteps! It couldn't be Kate or any of the adults because they were at a meeting, so it must be one of the trainees. The footsteps came closer, and then the wolf to which they belonged to came into view. It was one of the trainees, a girl with brownish red fur and long legs, similar to Garth's. She was cautiously approaching the obstacle course, probably afraid that someone would notice her, but there was no one around but me. When she came to the course she stopped, trying to find the entrance. I took this chance to try and slip away unnoticed, but I was in bushes so I couldn't move without making a sound, so when I stepped out of the bushes she heard me and immediately jumped into some bushes bordering the course.

I pondered over what I should do for a while, then I approached the bush in which she was hiding.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you came here, because I am also just a trainee," I said.

"I can help you with the course," I offered when there came no reply.

Suddenly someone jumped on me from behind.

**A/N: There ya go, another chapter.**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I'll update every two days or so, because I don't have much time to myself. Ideas needed for alpha school and people Humphrey could meet there.**

Humphrey's POV:

She jumped on me from behind, but I was stronger and threw her off. I walked up to her as she got up.

"Why did you jump on me?" I snapped.

"I..." she stammered, "I was just scared that you were going to tell the supervisors of me and then I'd be in trouble. I didn't know what else to do."

"If I told them they'd ask me why I was here, and then I'd also be in trouble, wouldn't I?"

"I guess so," she said.

"Good. Now, do you want help or not? I've been through it a few times."

"Thanks, but I can figure it out myself. You know, everybody trainee thinks Kate's telling you everything so that you can be top alpha, and everybody thinks you'll tell Kate if anybody steps over the line, kinda like an informant, so we stay away from you, but I don't think you're like that now. Nobody wants to talk with you in case they accidentally give something away, that's why everybody avoided you. You probably noticed that already."

"I did wonder why no one except the Winston and his lot wanted to have a conversation with me. I won't tell anything about anyone, by the way, and even Kate helped me with the obstacle course, so everybody can trust her too," I said.

"I actually came here to scout out the area for anyone that could snitch on us, so they're still waiting for me to report back to them. C'mon, I'll introduce you to them. Oh, and by the way, I'm Suzie."

"Nice to meet you Suzie. I'm Humphrey."

We started walking towards the path. We soon were walking towards a patch of bushes on the side of the path.

"It's all clear gals!" she shouted.

I saw three other wolves come walking out of the bushes. They were clearly the top female alphas because they were beautiful and muscular, but not muscular enough to look manly. They stopped in their tracks when they saw me.

"It's ok, he's friendly. He won't snitch on us, I'm sure of that."

They cautiously came towards us.

"You sure he won't snitch?" a brown furred one asked.

"C'mon people, you can't not trust him if you've never even met him," Suzie said.

They seemed to listen to her, but they didn't say anything.

"Why don't we try out the obstacle course?" I asked.

"That's a good idea," said Suzie, and they all agreed so we walked towards the course. I realized that I had made some friends, or at least one friend. It seemed now that everybody else will also start trusting me. I hope they would, or else I would only have Kate for company. Not that I Kate wasn't good company, it was just because I liked to talk with lots of people, not only one.


	24. Chapter 24

Humphrey's POV:

Suzie, her friends, and I had fun the whole evening on the obstacle course. I enjoyed myself so much, to the extent of me feeling as young as they were. After we had finished and started walking back, it dawned on me that I wasn't as young as I was before. Not that I was old, but I wasn't as small and agile as all the other trainees were. This made me a bit sad, but I didn't want it to overpower my joy, so I kept it to myself. We had to make a detour on our way back so that nobody noticed that we had come from the obstacle course.

When we arrived we found the place deserted except for a few wolves playing hide and seek in their dens.

"Where is everybody?" I asked when a wolf ran past me.

"Gone on an unofficial hunt. They all went except us because we wanted to play. The supervisors also went," he said before rushing off again. I had wanted to ask him where they went but he was already out of earshot.

"Well, that's great," Suzie said. "Now what do we do? We don't know where they went so we can't follow."

"I think I know," I said. "You know the trail they said about that led towards where we would practice hunting. I think that they're probably there."

"I did hear about that," Suzie said. "Let's go see."

So we set off towards the trail. When we got to it we heard whispering coming from the end of it. We decided to investigate. As we neared the whispers we could start making out what they said.

"Ok," we heard someone whisper. "Now, when they come through here we have to jump onto its back, clamp our jaws around it's neck or legs, and then bring it to the ground to finish it off. Understand?"

I immediately knew that it was Kate, because I could hear that it was a female voice, but I also knew that she was one of the only female here that knew about that stuff.

"Hey Kate," I whispered as I walked up to her. I saw that she was in a circle of trainees ready for their first hunt.

"Hey Humphrey. I was wondering where you were when you didn't come back."

"I fell asleep," I said. "And when I woke up and came back here I saw that everybody was gone, but a guy told me that everybody went off hunting. I thought that you might be here."

"Wanna join? I was just telling them what to do when the caribou comes through here, but you probably already know."

"Yea, I do. Let's get ready for it."

We all took positions in the undergrowth next to the trail. Kate and I were together.

"When it comes through here you and I are going for the back legs, the three over there are going for the front legs, and the rest are going for the neck and torso," Kate said. "We have the most dangerous job, so be careful, ok?"

"Don't worry, I will be," I answered.

Suddenly we heard the sound of hooves. It was coming.


	25. Chapter 25

Hi guys,

I was and am still busy with a lot of schoolwork/homework and stuff, and I'm going on a camp, so I won't be able to update this week.

Cheers,

DH


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